How to Winterize Your Plumbing System

Minnesota is no stranger to cold, snowy weather. The winter months can bring massive amounts of snow, ice, and frigid temperatures. Luckily, that makes the fall an excellent time to ensure that your plumbing will get through cold weather with minimal problems. Preparing your pipes and fixtures now can help avert catastrophes during blizzards and other extreme weather events. Consider performing these easy steps to winterize your plumbing in and around Aitkin County. Why You Should Protect Your Plumbing Preparing your plumbing for cold weather helps avoid costly damage to your home. Frozen pipes pose a significant risk to your home’s plumbing. Water expands when it freezes, causing pipes to burst and resulting in water damage to walls, floors and more. In the coldest days of winter, you may wait days to get emergency service, leaving you without running water and potentially causing further damage. While you can do many of these tasks now, you’ll need to perform others during the coldest months to ensure your plumbing continues to run. Start by attending to outside pipes and fixtures. However, before you do anything, make sure you know where the main water cutoff valve is located. Knowing this location can make...

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Essential Plumbing Tools Every Homeowner Ought to Own

Your home cannot be complete without a handy toolbox that you can count on for your repair needs, and when you own a home, you’ll ultimately encounter plumbing problems. Whether you’re a seasoned DIYer or a newbie, having the right tools will help you do preventive maintenance on your plumbing system. Learning how to use them can give you the confidence boost you need to fix any minor plumbing issues that come your way. Here are a few plumbing tools all homeowners must have. Plunger A plunger is an essential plumbing tool you should have at your disposal. Plungers come in two types: flange plunger and cup plunger. The flange plunger works best for toilets as it has a rubber seal specifically designed to form a vacuum that effectively dislodges troublesome clogs. On the other hand, a cup plunger works best for unclogging sinks and bathtubs. You will always need both flange and cup plungers around your home to fix minor blockages. Drain Snake A drain snake is a flexible auger that helps dislodge troublesome clogs that the average plunger can’t handle. This tool will help you clear debris such as hair, food scraps and soap scum without causing damage...

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